The Endurance_ Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition - Caroline Alexander [27]
Over the ensuing days, emergency rations were stored with the sledges, ready for use, and on August 1, the dogs were hastily brought on board shortly before a wave of pressure caused blocks of ice to flatten the kennels and grind them to powder between the jaws of opening and closing floes. A large lump of ice that had become jammed under the rudder was maneuvered away, but damage had already been done.
As the gale raged, the Endurance was shaken like a toy by the pressure, knocked to her port side and nipped forward, backward, and side to side. Soundlessly she resisted, but when this onslaught ceased, a massive new pressure compressed her sides, causing her to strain and groan until her beams actually buckled.
At close of Winter. August 1, 1915
“Our position became extremely perilous, as huge blocks were rafting and tumbling over themselves in their apparent eagerness to hurl their force against our walls.” ( Hurley, diary)
New leads covered with ice flowers—early spring
“Took color camera to lead this morning amidst similar gorgeous conditions of yesterday & more glorified perhaps for a fine crop of ice flowers springing up on the lead & they, illumined by the morning sun, resembled a field of pink carnations.” ( Hurley, diary)
The Return of the Sun
“Extremely heavy precipitation of rime crystals during the night, our rigging being heavily encrusted, some of the ropes being over 3? in diameter, but the effect is beautiful.” ( Hurley, diary)
“Everyone got our warm clothes put up in as small a bundle as possible,” wrote McNish that night. “I have placed my Loved ones fotos inside Bible we got presented with from Queen Alexandra & put them in my bag.”
Around the ship, blocks of ice caught between moving floes jumped like cherrystones squeezed between a gigantic thumb and finger. The wind blew hard all night, then dropped the following day, when all became quiet, save for an occasional distant rumbling. Shackleton calculated that the gale had caused the ship to drift as much as thirty-seven miles north in the three days it had raged.
Throughout this ordeal, Lees, recovering from sciatica, had lain alone in Marston's bunk, to which he had been moved at his own request. From this deck cabin, he had listened to the rumbling and upheaval of the ice and the tramping of the watchman's feet overhead. While the ship rocked and trembled, he held his breath, waiting to see how she would settle. On August 9, he ventured outside for the first time in three weeks, thinner and greatly weakened.
Outside, an amazing sight awaited him: The Endurance lay in an entirely new landscape. All the old, familiar landmarks were gone or dislocated, and the ship appeared to have been forced forward a hundred yards through ice six feet thick.
“How this little ship survived amidst such a mighty upheaval is almost inconceivable,” he wrote. “As it is she lies very much on her side with her rudder cracked & surrounded by great piles of ice blocks rising as high as her decks. We used to step out onto a comparatively level floe, now, on stepping outside, one finds oneself immediately in a labyrinth of ice blocks & gullies.”
The pups (by Sally and Samson)
Left to right, Nell, Toby, Roger, and Nelson. “In addition to their foster-father, Crean, the pups adopted Amundsen. They tyrannized over him most unmercifully. It was a common sight to see him, the biggest dog in the pack, sitting out in the cold with an air of philosophic resignation while a corpulent pup occupied the entrance to his dogloo.” ( Shackleton, South)
Yet the Endurance had survived, and the pressure had vanished. Gradually, the weather cleared, and as the winter drew to a close the sun tentatively returned, shining for several